Shy Australian will go unnoticed, says family

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An Australian man missing in hurricane-ravaged New Orleans is a
shy person who would not draw attention to himself or push to be
rescued, his sister said today.

Jasmine Mutnansky said her brother Ashley Trevor McDonald, of
Narre Warren in Melbourne's south-east, had not made contact with
his family since before Hurricane Katrina hit.

Mr McDonald, 30, was scheduled to fly into New Orleans on August
27, and was booked into a hotel in the city's French Quarter.

"What I think has happened is he got caught up in the evacuation
before he got to his hotel, and he probably followed everyone else
... to the Superdome," Ms Mutnansky told AAP from Tennessee in the
United States.

"He is scared, and he is very shy to start with.

"He's the type to sit there and not draw attention to himself.
He's really quiet and would wait for someone to come to him. I
can't imagine him going up and talking to someone."

Ms Mutnansky said her family still had hope Mr McDonald was
alive and waiting to be rescued, despite reports of chaos at the
New Orleans Superdome and Convention Centre.

But she said he would have called her if he was able.

"He would call me, definitely, especially since we arranged for
him to call me ... as soon as he got to his hotel room in New
Orleans," she said.

"I know for sure he would call."

Ms Mutnansky said her brother did not know about hurricane
warnings for the area when he flew in.

Mr McDonald's parents flew to Houston, Texas yesterday to look
for him in shelters, and hoped to get to New Orleans to continue to
search.

"They are very worried," Ms Mutnansky told the Nine Network.

"They are not too good at the moment. They are just hoping we
can find him and take him back home."

Ms Mutnansky said she had been constantly scouring all the
television news channels for footage of her brother and calling aid
organisations to see if he had registered with them.

She said both US and Australian government authorities had been
no help in providing information, and at times had given
conflicting reports.

"It's just been ridiculous," she said.

Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans eight days ago, destroying
much of the city and other parts of the Gulf Coast, leaving tens of
thousands of people feared dead.

Australian officials say they are trying to track down 11
Australians believed to be caught in the hurricane zone.

They are particularly concerned about Mr McDonald and
75-year-old Keith Faulkner, a dual national who lives in New
Orleans.